Resistance against N. Korean regime taking root, survey suggests(Nov., 2008 survey)

WP ^ | 03/24/10 | Blaine Harden

[TigerLikesRooster]

Resistance against N. Korean regime taking root, survey suggests

By Blaine Harden

Washington Post Foreign Service

Wednesday, March 24, 2010; A11

TOKYO -- There is mounting evidence that Kim Jong Il is losing the propaganda war inside North Korea, with more than half the population now listening to foreign news, grass-roots cynicism undercutting state myths and discontent rising even among elites.

A survey of refugees has found that "everyday forms of resistance" in the North are taking root as large swaths of the population believe that pervasive corruption, rising inequity and chronic food shortages are the fault of the government in Pyongyang -- and not of the United States, South Korea or other foreign forces. The report will be released this week by the East-West Center, a research group established by Congress.

The report comes amid unconfirmed accounts from inside North Korea of a rising number of starvation deaths caused by a bad harvest and bungled currency reform that disrupted food markets, caused runaway inflation and triggered widespread citizen unrest.

[TigerLikesRooster]

There is high likelihood that things have worsened since the time of survey. Especially in last several months.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[driftdiver]

This will end well. /s

[dr_who]

Who are they surveying? The U.S. State Dept?

[mowowie]

There are some real good videos on youtube about life in NK.
Might as well be a different planet that they live on.

It’s amazing that their gov is (was) able to contain it for so long.

[hinckley buzzard]

They'll be getting ready to blame another round of "flooding." Funny how floods and droughts only seem to hit totalitarian regimes who take grim satisfaction in starving their own people.

[driftdiver]

No if they talked to the state dept the big issue would be lack of socialized medicine.

[Pollster1]

A survey of refugees has found that "everyday forms of resistance" in the North are taking root as large swaths of the population believe that pervasive corruption, rising inequity and chronic food shortages are the fault of the government in Pyongyang -- and not of the United States, South Korea or other foreign forces.

Obama has a better propaganda team, so many people here still think all their problems are Bush's fault. Maybe he can send his media team to help his buddy in North Korea.

[SkyDancer]

I wonder how many guns they have hidden away and will their military oppose or help ...

[TigerLikesRooster]

NK is stripped to bare bone when it comes to economy and social situation in general. It is flat-out broke. In comparison, U.S. is still better off and could take some years before it reaches the level of collapse in N. Korea. On the other hand, U.S. citizens are used to much higher living standard. State control is weaker and access to information is much better, comparatively speaking. This all means that U.S. citizens have much lower tolerance of abuse.

It is possible that large revolt(by some elites or people)could occur in both countries about the same time.:-)

[TigerLikesRooster]

Lower level soldiers(conscripts, NCO and junior officers) could turn against gov.. They are very unhappy about their own situation, too. So revolting civilians might get some help from disaffected soldiers when push comes to shove.

[SevenofNine]

Yeah how about this somebody wrote a book life inside Chia Pet land aka North Korea

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterfoster/100031190/a-window-onto-the-closed-world-of-north-korea/

[TigerLikesRooster]

Her book is getting more publicity than other books of the same kind. Reviews keep coming in months after its release.
Maybe her name recognition helps, along with the fact that she used to be one of them, newspaper reporters.

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[DontTreadOnMe2009]

Lower level soldiers(conscripts, NCO and junior officers) could turn against gov.. They are very unhappy about their own situation, too. So revolting civilians might get some help from disaffected soldiers when push comes to shove.

---

137 cm soldiers ... ???

[Oceander]

Sorry, I read the blurb and I thought we were talking about winning the propaganda war in North America. Geez, how pathetic can you get, when even the North Koreans, of all people, are trying to flee away from socialism and fascism, just as we are being hustled toward it as fast as Obama and the American Fascist Party, formerly the Democratic Party, can push us?

[TigerLikesRooster]

They can still shoot, or transfer firearms to civilians. Besides, everybody is equally short and malnourished. They have a level-playing field.:-)

[nw_arizona_granny]

Bump.